Norman Gladding Michael (May 1, 1921 – September 25, 2011) was an American college football player who was a fullback for the

Syracuse Orange The Syracuse Orange are the athletic teams that represent Syracuse University. The school is a member of NCAA Division I and the Atlantic Coast Conference. Until 2013, Syracuse was a member of the Big East Conference. The school's mascot is Ott ...

. Following his college career, Michael was selected in the 20th round of the

1944 NFL Draft The 1944 National Football League Draft was held on April 19, 1944, at the Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With the first overall pick of the draft, the Boston Yanks selected quarterback Angelo Bertelli. Player selections Round ...

by the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

. The Eagles could not locate him, as he was serving in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, and he did not learn of his selection until 55 years later.

Early life and education

Born in

Providence, RI Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Ba ...

in 1921, Michael attended high school at Lakewood. He played college football at Syracuse University, playing fullback. One of his best plays came as a sophomore, where he made a 58-yard run against rival Colgate, scoring a touchdown a few plays later. But on the next possession he broke his leg and was out for the year. He was frequently injured during his time at Syracuse, "keeping the doctors busy", according to the '' Democrat and Chronicle''. In addition, Michael suffered a torn arm muscle as a freshman, and fracturing or breaking his wrist, arm, nose, and ankle in his final two seasons. While healthy, he was rated a top-class fullback, being dubbed by a scouting report as, "a first-class fullback so long as his bones maintain the particular spirit of unity." Another newspaper described him as "a Rocky River, Ohio boy who is touted as one of the fastest backs ever to play for Syracuse." Though he was mainly used as a blocker, he made the most of his rushes, averaging 10.5 yards per-carry in one season.

NFL Draft

Following his college career Michael was selected in the 20th round of the

by the

. However, the Eagles were not able to locate him, as he was stationed at Maxwell Air Force Base in

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

, serving in

Later life

Afterwards he worked at multiple sales jobs near Syracuse and was a business owner in

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

, retiring in 1978. He did not learn of his selection in the

NFL Draft The National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. Each team is given a position in the drafting o ...

until 55 years later, in 1999, while reading a local newspaper listing Syracuse draftees. "That was the first I heard of it," Michael said. "I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me." "I guess I may have missed my window of opportunity," he said, laughing. "My son sent them a letter after we found out, I think he wanted to see if the Eagles owed me a signing bonus. Think of the interest I could have had. Fifty-seven years’ worth," he also said. He died on September 25, 2011, at the age of 90.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Michael, Norm 1921 births 2011 deaths Syracuse Orange football players American football fullbacks People from Rocky River, Ohio Sportspeople from Lakewood, Ohio Players of American football from Cuyahoga County, Ohio United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II